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George Lucas helped to direct the first episode of Game of Thrones
As part of a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the premiere, it was revealed that the man behind Star Wars had dropped by the set for a visit.
“When we found out George Lucas wanted to visit, we thought maybe it was a practical joke,” Game of Thrones co-creator David Benioff says in the clip. “We were really excited and also nervous because it’s George Lucas.”
The featurette shows Lucas working alongside episode director David Nutter, who described the experience as “so cool for me”.
Lucas can also be seen giving Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) and Kit Harington (Jon Snow) some guidance for their performances. “No direction for you,” he tells Harington. “I don’t really care about you. I don’t care what happens to you.”
Show all 13 1 /13Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1 callbacks and Easter eggs Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1 callbacks and Easter eggs Excited youngsters The season eight premiere was loaded with many references to the show's very first instalment, "Winter Is Coming," which aired in 2011. The episode began with a nameless young boy, scrambling around the castle of Winterfell to get a better view of Daenerys' oncoming army. It served as a reminder that Bran did the same when King Robert Baratheon, Cersei Lannister and company visited all those years ago.
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Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1 callbacks and Easter eggs "Winterfell is yours, Your Grace" When Sansa, the Lady of Winterfell, greets Daenerys, she repeats the same line her father said to King Robert back in the Pilot episode: "Winterfell is yours, Your Grace."
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Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1 callbacks and Easter eggs Joffrey's wedding The season premiere had several character reunions, one of which included wedded couple Sansa and Tyrion who haven't seen each other since Joffrey's dramatic demise at King's Landing in season four. "It was a miserable affair," Tyrion says, to which Sansa replies: "It had its moments," clearly recollecting Joffrey's choking face.
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Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1 callbacks and Easter eggs A visit to godswood Jon Snow assumes the role of Ned Stark in this episode and visits the weirwood tree-filled godswood and Stark family crypt much like his "father" did back in the Pilot. It was a nice touch that it was the latter where Sam Tarly told his friend of his true Targaryen heritage.
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Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1 callbacks and Easter eggs "Once or twice" The season eight premiere marked the long-awaited reunion of Arya and Jon who haven't shared a scene since the first season. When Jon notices Arya still has Needle in her possession, he asks - unaware of her status as a Faceless assassin - whether she's ever had to use it. "Once or twice," she says.
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Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1 callbacks and Easter eggs Cersei wants elephants You may have noticed that Cersei spent a large chunk of her scenes disappointed that The Golden Company representative Harry Strickland arrived from Essos without any elephants in tow. As mentioned in George RR Martin's book series, the mysterious group of mercenaries do indeed own elephants; they were probably left out of the series due to budget restrictions.
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Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1 callbacks and Easter eggs The crossbow Qyburn hands Bronn a crossbow after filling him in on Cersei's wishes: she wants him to use it to kill her brothers, Jaime and Tyrion. For those who don't remember, this is the same weapon that Tyrion used to kill their father, Tywin, with - a murder that Jaime seems to have forgiven Tyrion for.
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Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1 callbacks and Easter eggs Jon goes chasing waterfalls While not a direct callback, the scene in which Jon and Daenerys enjoy a smooch in front of the waterfall will remind viewers of his previous romance with the wildling Ygritte, with whom he consummated his feelings while lying in a waterfall cave. Viewers will remember how that relationship ended - and following Jon's discovery that he's the true heir to the Iron Throne, and Daenyers' nephew, it seems this love affair could be just as doomed.
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Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1 callbacks and Easter eggs "M'lady" Arya finally catches up with her oldest friend, Gendry, this week - and he's still as obsessed with status as ever before. At one stage, he calls her "m'lady" - a nod to the same nickname he gave the clearly rattled Arya five seasons ("don't call me that," she tells him). Only this time, it comes with added flirtation.
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Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1 callbacks and Easter eggs The Silence Euron Greyjoy tells his prisoner Yara that he doesn't want to kill her as she's the only one he can speak to considering all his sailors are mutes. This is a reference to George RR Martin's book series - his ship is called The Silence as its crew consists of sailors who have had their tongues cut out by their paranoid captain; he's fearful they'd conspire to usurp his rule.
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Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1 callbacks and Easter eggs Cameos It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans will be happy to know the season eight premiere featured a brief cameo from Mac actor Rob McElhenney as one of Euron's guards that Theon butchers while saving Yara. McElhenney is good friends with creators David Benioff and DB Weiss. Silicon Valley actor Martin Starr also appeared in the same scene.
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Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1 callbacks and Easter eggs The Night King's symbol The symbol that goes up in flames after Lord Ned Umber is found impaled to a wall surrounded by severed limbs recalls the same pattern left behind by the Night King on three separate occasions throughout the series: in the show's opening scene, when Jon finds the remains of horses remains assembled in a similar way and again in Bran's visions. Many fans also think it bears a striking resemblance to the sigil of House Targaryen, which lends credence to the theory that the White Walker leader could actually be the true heir of the Iron Throne.
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Game of Thrones season 8 episode 1 callbacks and Easter eggs Things come full circle for Jaime The end of the episode was a huge callback to the end of the Pilot episode, which infamously saw Jaime Lannister push Bran Stark out of a window after he catches him having sex with his sister, and King Robert's queen, Cersei. No characters have had bigger evolutions on the show than these two and this moment seems to hammer home that exact fact. As he looks at Bran, removing his hood much in the same way he took off his helmet all those years ago, it’s easy to sense his regret over past actions.
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Benioff and co-creator DB Weiss are currently overseeing plans for a future series of Star Wars films, while Clarke starred in Solo and Gwendoline Christie played Captain Phasma in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.
The final season of Game of Thrones is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK. Read The Independent ’s review of the premiere episode here .
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